Nursery chair



L. E. NlKA NURSERY CHAIR Oct. 30, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 24, 1958 INVENTOR.

Louis E. Ni k0 ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1962 NIKA 3,061,262

NURSERY CHAIR Filed March 24, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Louis E. Ni kCl ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,061,252 NURSERY CHAIR Louis E. Nika, North Plainfield, N.J., assignor to Jiffy Products, Bound Brook, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 723,326 1 Claim. ((11. 248-439) The present invention relates to nursery chairs for infants and young children in the form of a portable toilet and suitable especially for use as a baby trainer.

It is the general object of the invention to provide a nursery chair having a removable receptacle or catchchamber and which is simple and sanitary in construction, can be collapsed into very compact form, can be manufactured by molding of plastic material, and is safe and reliable in use even for infants.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible nursery chair having wire legs so constructed and mounted that they can be collapsed with the receptacle mounted in operative position within the collapsed legs.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a collapsible chair of the type above indicated, wherein two bail-shaped wire legs are pivotally mounted upon the underside of the chair seat and in such manner that in the erected condition of the legs, they are locked in position and cannot be accidentally collapsed while the child is seated on the chair.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a chair of the character indicated wherein the seat is provided with a depending peripheral flange, and wherein the bail-shaped legs in their open or erected condition bear against locking members spaced from such flange so that no strain is placed on the latter.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an approximately U-shaped clamp which engages a horizontal'flange on the receptacle under tension and holds the same securely in position.

The present invention also contemplates the combination with collapsible side and back walls pivotally mounted on the seat, of a tray which can be detachably interlocked with the back wall and engages the upper edges of the side Walls in such manner as to brace such walls against accidental collapse.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following more detailed description thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of my improved nursery chair in the erected condition;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the chair, likewise in erected condition;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail illustrating the mechanism for locking the wire legs in erected position, and showing also the means for securing the resilient wire gripper for the receptacle to the flange of the seat;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in elevation, partly in section, showing spring detent mechanism for releasably securing the front end of the tray to the sides of the chair;

FIG. 5 shows a front end view of the chair in collapsed condition with the receptacle mounted thereon;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the collapsed chair but with the receptacle removed;

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of the erected chair with the receptacle in the operative, suspended position; while FIG. 8 shows a detachable safety bar which can be used in place of the tray.

As shown in the drawings, the nursery chair or baby trainer includes a seat 10 provided with an approximately central opening 11 which has a forward extension 12 3,961,262 Patented Oct. 30, 1962 whose transverse dimension is smaller than the diameter of the central opening. The seat is provided with collapsible side wall members 13 and 14 and a back wall member 15, while the forward extension of the opening is provided with a collapsible deflector 16, all of which may be constructed in the manner disclosed in the US. patent to Louis Nike. and Claire M. Nika, No. 2,712,653, dated July 12, 1955. The deflector can be collapsed into a position in which it is flush with the top surface of the seat, while the side and back members can be folded one upon the other to lie against the top surface of the seat in the inoperative condition of the chair. In the construction shown, the deflector is first folded down, then the side walls, and finally the back wall.

The seat is provided with a downwardly extending flange 17 along its periphery and the central opening and its extension are likewise provided with a depending flange 18. The deflector is preferably made of flexible plastic material and its side members are provided with integral trunnions 19 which are received in suitable openings in the flange bordering the extension, the location of these trunnions being such that in the erected position, the deflector bears against the front edge 20 of the extension, whereby the movement of the deflector is limited to its operative, more or less vertical position. In the collapsed condition of the deflector, the bottom edges of the side members engage the flange depending from the forward edge 20 of the extension to limit the downward movement of the deflector.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 3 and 6' of the drawing, it will be seen that the underside of the seat is provided with a transverse reinforcing web 21 and with the webs 22 and 23 on the opposite side of the opening 11. The web 21 preferably extends across the whole width of the seat, but the webs 22 and 23 are of limited length, as illustrated; however, they may be replaced by a single web, like 21, extending across the width of the seat. The webs are integral with the seat, which is preferably made of molded plastic material, such as polystyrene.

Bearing against the web 21 is a plate or bar '24 made preferably of metal and wedged between the web and the abutment 25 which is molded integrally with the seat. At the opposite side of the aperture 11 there is disposed a similar plate or bar 26 which is wedged between the two webs 22 and 23, on the one hand, and the abutment 27, on the other. The Webs and bars are provided with aligned apertures 28 for receiving the free ends of the heavy wire legs 29* and 30 which will shortly be described. Extending laterally from the ends of each of the bars 2 4 and 26 is a hook member 31 whose function will be described hereinafter.

The chair is supported on the floor or other horizontal surface by the pair of bail-shaped legs 29 an 30, each composed of a horizontal portion 32 adapted to rest on the floor when the legs are in extended or erected condition, and of two side members 33 which are bent at an acute angle from the horizontal portions 32, so as to be inclined toward each other. The legs are thus of trapezoidal shape. The upper port-ions of the side members 33 are bent as shown at 34 at an obtuse angle to the side members, and are then bent approximately at right angles to the portions 34 to form the terminal portions 35. These terminal portions are adapted to be received within to be received within the apertures.

As will be evident from the drawings, the legs are adapted to be swung outwardly to the erected position as shown in FIG. 1 and to be swung inwardly into collapsed position, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. As the legs are swung outwardly, the portions 34 engage the ends 36 of the hook members 31 and cam them outwardly, the resilient bars 24 and 26 being slightly flexed about their point of contact with the respective abutments 25 and 27. As soon as the portions 34 of eachleg have passed the ends 36 of the associated hooks, the bars spring back into their original positions, the hook ends 36- then partially overlying the leg portions 34 and thereby locking the legs releasably in erected condition. To collapse the legs, they are forced inwardly, i.e., toward each other, thereby camming the. hook members 31 outwardly until they clear the hook ends. 36.

In the form of the invention illustrated, the trapezoidally shaped wire legs are of identical shape and construction and are of such height that in the collapsed condition of the legs, the horizontal portion 32 of each leg approximately overlies the pivotal terminal portions 35 of the other leg. To enable the legs to pass each other as they are folded to the collapsed condition, it is necessary to twist one of the legs in such manner that one of its corner portions passes over the corresponding corner of the other leg. The first corner portion is then brought down a sufficient distance along the side member 33 of the other leg until the other corner portion of the first leg is able to clear the corresponding corner portion of the second leg. The legs can now be brought into the completely collapsed condition in which the side members cross each other, as can be seen best in FIG. 6. With the aid of this construction, the collapsible legs can be given adequate height without making the seat excessively wide.

The nursery chair is adapted to be employed with a receptacle 37 which is suspended beneath the central opening. The receptacle is provided with a peripheral, more or less horizontal flange 38. For suspending the receptacle beneath the opening and to discourage attempts of the child to withdraw the receptacle, there is provided a bail or U-shaped clamp or gripper 39 in the form of a wire structure whose free end portions are bent and looped in a plane at slightly less than a right angle to the plane of the wire clamp itself, as shown at 40. The clamp is secured to the rear portion of the flange 17 by means of a bolt 41 which passes through the looped portion at each side of the clamp, the looped portions being held tightly against the. flange by the wing'nuts 42. The arrangement is such that the wire clamp bears with considerable force against the bottom of the lower portion of the flange 18 bordering the extension 12, the closed end of the clamp thus being subjected to a considerable spring bias in the upward direction.

The rear portions of the side arms of the clamp are spaced a suflicient distance vertically from the bar 26 to enable the flange of the receptacle to be inserted between the side arms of the clamp and the bottom of the seat. The receptacle is forced toward the front of the seat until its flange is engaged by the semi-circular portion of the clamp 39 which securely holds the flange against the bottom. of the flange 18.- To facilitate the removal of the receptacle, there is provided a fingerpiece 43 at the rear thereof.

The nursery chair is preferably provided with a tray 44 having a table play area 45 and side arms 46 whose rear ends are provided with hooks 47 which engage behind the back wall 15 when the latter is in erected condition. The undersides of the arms 46 are grooved as indicated at 48 to receive snugly the upper edges of the side walls 13 and 14, so that the tray acts to stiffen the side wall and back wall structure 13, 14, and 15. To prevent the child from lifting the tray and possibly falling off the seat, I provide a yielding detent mechanism for releasably interlocking the tray with the erected sides 13, 14. In the form of the invention illustrated, the frontends of the side walls are provided with vertical slots 51 which are adapted to receive flat spiral springs 53 secured to the underside of the tray. The spiral springs are so disposed that as the tray is lowered onto the erected side walls 13, 14, the springs snap into the slots 51; they are of sufficient strength to resist efforts of the child to lift the tray, but will yield to an adult.

To facilitate the threading of one leg through the other, the side members can be bent inwardly for a distance of about inch, as shown best at 54, in FIG. 7, so that as the corner portion of one leg is passed over the corresponding corner portion of the other leg, the first corner portion can be shifted laterally for the distance of inch, such movement enabling the other corner portion of the first leg to be passed more readily over the corresponding corner portion of the second leg, since the legs will generally be made of A1 inch steel wire. However, as already indicated, because of the inherent resiliency of legs having the height indicated in the drawing (about 7 /2 inches, or 19 cm., for example, from the horizontal portion 32 to the pivotal portion 35) the leg which is passed over the other leg can be twisted sufliciently to enable it to pass over first one corner and then over the other corner of the other leg, even when the side members of the legs are free of the bend 54. As is indicated in the drawing, the legs are of such height that they are able to clear the receptacle as they are collapsed with the receptacle in its assembled condition.

As will be best understood from FIG. 6, the bars 24 and 26 together with the heavy wire legs form, in the erected condition, a more or less rigid self-sustaining steel structure which is able easily to bear the weight of the child, and in fact can support the weight of an adult standing on it. As a result, the plastic seat itself can be made of relatively light and therefore inexpensive construction.

The spring detents 53 can, if desired, be replaced by a strap detachably secured to the front edges of the tray and seat, as in the median planev of the chair. Also in place of the tray there may be employed a bar composed of a plastic cylinder 49 (FIG. 8) flattened at its ends, as shown at 55, where it is provided with snap fasteners 52. The flattened ends 55 are threaded through the openings 51 of the sides of the chair and the bar is secured to the side walls by interlocking the snap fasteners. The cylinder 49 may be stiffened by an insert 50 of wood or other relatively rigid material.

In the drawing there is shown a collapsible seat of the type in which the sides are folded down first and the back wall then folded over the side walls. However, if desired, the construction can readily be modified to enable the back wall to be folded down first and the side walls then folded over the back wall without departing from' the principles and spirit of the invention.

I claim:

A nursery chair comprising a seat and a pair of collapsible bail-shaped legs whose free ends are pivotally mounted on the underside of the seat, each of said'bailshaped legs comprising a horizontal portion adapted to rest upon the floor and a pair of side members inclined toward each other and forming acute angles with the horizontal portion, said legs being of substantially identical shape and so dimensioned that one can be passed through the other to effect collapse of the legs against the bottom of the seat with the side members of the legs in crossed relation, means for releasably securing the legs in erected condition, said means comprising a pair of bars having laterally extending hooked end portions, fixed abutments on the under side of the seat engaging the approximately central portions ofsaid bars, said hooked end portions being sprung away from their normal positions by the legs as the latter are moved into erected condition and snapping back into interlocking relation with the legs as the latter reach the fully erected position, integral transverse web members on the underside of the seat, said bars being wedged between the web members and the associated abutment, and said web members and bars being pro- 5 6 vided with aligned openings for receiving the free ends 1,553,437 Diehl Sept. 15, 1925 of the side members of the legs. 1,563,236 Smith Nov. 24, 1925 1,600,823 Hess Sept. 21, 1926 References Cited in the file of this patent 1,954,604 Th Apr, 10, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 2,459,601 Tiritilli et a1 Jan. 18, 1949 690,415 Frost Jan. 7, 1902 1,419,947 Schouter June 20, 1922 I 1,550,130 Waddle Aug. 13, 1925 

